@jonpeddie, have a look at this EETimes blog: http://www.eetimes.com/author.asp?section_id=36&doc_id=1318857

In it you can see a reference to a number of benchmarks showing Intel lying well behind ARM-based SoCs, and explaining how false is the latest AnTuTu benchmark. The academic in many is very disappointed with such baseless claims - fair play to all parties involved but please let's not bend science and facts to suit our aims.

Anyway, I look forward to the IDF annoucement in early September as you said, perhaps we will then get some useful numbers....

"It's the x86-based tablets, using Intel's new Atom-based SoC and AMD's APU that will allow us to do real work on a tablet. I agree, the Android tablets are imposible and don't have the app base for producity (Sure, you canget by and compromise by unlearning everything you did learn for the past ten years). X86 tablets will change the game and our usage modes"

What does this mean!? Where is the data that support these assertions? All the benchmarks that I have seen show Intel-based solutions for tablets well behind ARM-based ones. That includes performance and performance per battery life.

As for productivity, what are most people using their tablets for? circuit simulation? It's mostly used for email, web surfing, audio and video consumption. Surely there is no need for any "unlearning" here. And if you want PC applications on your tablet, surely the way is not to use processor technology designed for PCs. Yes, you might have the tools but you won't have much time to use them before the battery goes flat!

I am sorry but I have been reading/hearing the above assertions so many times lately and I can't for the life of me see any reason to believe them. Show us the numbers, please!

The discussion here is mostly about computing power...for sure tablets are getting more powerful and can do what PCs could do few years ago...and PCs in turn in the past became as powerful as old workstations...but this is all semantics...transition from workstation to PCs was noticed by engineers, for the rest of the wold nothing has really changed, yes, price came down, vendors changed but computer remained a computer

The supposed shift from laptops to tablet transition is different...in addition to price, computation power, and vendor shift there is one dramatic difference: the tablet is small physically. Using it is not ergonomical. You can't see everything, you can't draw something precise quickly, you can't type very quickly and reliably, you can't work very efficiently for long period of times...your eyes and fingers are just suited that well to the tablet...this is fundamental reason it will not take over the laptop...for similar reasons Google eyeglasses or Apple iWatch will not take over from tablets...unless humans start growing larger eyes and smaller fingers, but that might take a while;-)

It's the x86-based tablets, using Intel's new Atom-based SoC and AMD's APU that will allow us to do real work on a tablet. I agree, the Android tablets are imposible and don't have the app base for producity (Sure, you canget by and compromise by unlearning everything you did learn for the past ten years). X86 tablets will change the game and our usage modes

I find this article full of assertions with no substance. It is about time we saw real solid numbers to have any confidence in Intel's claims. The latest AnTuTu mobile benchmark fiasco does not give me any confidence things are about to change.....

That's true but what percentage of computing users in the world (smartphone-only users included) are engineers?

One aspect of the issue I did not see addressed in the comments so far is the use of VNC sessions. Sure, I use a laptop for design work but that same design work is performed on powerful machines in remote locations that I merely access screen sessions on. I don't see how a comparatively "wimpy" docked tablet or even phone couldn't do the same. I'm just using this thing to pass mouse and key inputs.

Junko, in terms of actual time spent on the PC, most of my "personal use computing" at home is probably watching Internet TV. For that, I'm in the den watching on a 42" HDTV set and separate audio system.

If I can dock a tablet to connect it to the HDTV set and the audio system, then it would make sense. Otherwise, why would I ever want to go to tablet for this?

I guess I'm saying, although tablets are getting more powerful, they're still small gadgets. In place of a book or magazine, sure. In place of home theater, uuh, not so good. There are uses of the home PC that a tablet, by itself, will remain unsuited for.

Duane, workstation is a nice analogy. Obviously, tablets are getting powerful enough to do PCs' job, just as PCs got powerful enough to do workstations' job. The question, then, is as you pointed out, will "personal home use computing" become all tablets?